Figurative Language
Figurative Language for December (Deck the Halls with Figurative Language) is a holiday-themed study of figurative language presented as a series of original sentences, popular song lyrics, and a verse from a familiar

The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 Whole book test is a set of 50 multiple-choice questions covers the whole book and checks for basic comprehension.
The test does NOT require story interpretation, but it DOES require a detailed FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Roll of Thunder, hear My Cry Whole book Test is a set of 50 multiple choice questions that cover the whole book and check for basic comprehension.
The test does NOT require story interpretation,

The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver Whole Book Test is a 50-question multiple choice quiz for Lois Lowry's 1994 Newbery Medal Winner. It covers the whole book and checks for basic comprehension.
This test does NOT require story interpretation, but

The Cay by Theodore Taylor
The Cay Whole Book Test is a set of 50, text-dependent, multiple choice questions. Students will find it necessary to read the book thoroughly and carefully in order to score well on this quiz.
These questions do not

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Touching Spirit Bear Teaching Guide is a 148-page resource for teaching Ben Mikaelsen's popular novel with eight different components. Though CCSS alignments are not listed in this file, the various activities

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Outsiders Whole Book Test is a set of fifty multiple choice questions covers the whole book and checks for basic comprehension.
The test does NOT require story interpretation, but it DOES require a detailed FACTUAL

Figurative Language for November ( A Thanksgiving Feast of Figurative Language) is a figure-of-speech study constructed around the loosely woven story of a family's Thanksgiving get together.
Organized in three sections (Appetizers, Main Course,

Bud, Not Buddy Whole Book Test
Bud, Not Buddy Whole Book Test for Christopher Paul Curtis' 2000 Newbery Medal Winner is a set of fifty multiple choice questions.
Students will find it necessary to read the book thoroughly and carefully in order

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Hatchet Whole Book Test is a set of thirty-three matching-style questions covers the whole book and checks for basic comprehension.
The test does NOT require story interpretation, but it DOES require a detailed FACTUAL

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Touching Spirit Bear Whole Book Test
This whole book test for Ben Mikaelsen's popular novel is a set of fifty multiple choice questions. Students will find it necessary to read the book thoroughly and

Anne Frank
Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl Whole Book Test is a set of 50 multiple choice questions that covers the full novel and check for basic comprehension.
This test does NOT require story interpretation

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Out of the Dust Whole Book Test for Karen Hesse's 1998 Newbery Medal Winner is a set of fifty multiple choice questions.
The items do NOT REQUIRE STORY INTREPRETATION nor do they address ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE.

The Sign of the Beaver Whole Book Test for Elizabeth Gorge Speare's 1984 Newbery Honor Book is a set of 50 True/False questions.
Students will find it necessary to read the book thoroughly and carefully in order to score well on this quiz, which

The Call of the Wild Whole Book Test is a set of 50 multiple choice questions that cover the whole book and check for basic comprehension.
This test does NOT require story interpretation, but it DOES require a detailed FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE of the

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Crispin The Cross of Lead Whole Book Test is a set of fifty multiple choice questions covers the whole book and check for basic comprehension.
The test does NOT require story interpretation nor does it address

Figurative Language
Figurative Language for January (January in Figurative Language )is a nine-page activity set in two parts with 25 items each.
The month of January--its weather and special designations--is the inspiration for the original

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Maniac Magee Whole Book Test is a set of 50 matching-style questions cover the whole book and check for basic comprehension.
This test does NOT require story interpretation, but it DOES require a detailed FACTUAL

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Charlotte's Web Whole Book Test is a set of thirty-three multiple choice questions covers the whole book and checks for basic comprehension.
The test does NOT require story interpretation, but it DOES require a

Ask Margaret Whisnant a question. They will receive an automated email and will return to answer you as soon as possible.
Please Login to ask your question.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Immediately after graduating from Lenoir Rhyne College in 1965 with a degree in high school business education, I touched ground and taxied into a self-contained elementary classroom filled to the brim with 38 eighth graders. Not the place I had planned to spend the next thirty years, but unwittingly, I landed where I belonged!
Most of my thirty years in education were spent living happily in the delightful, chaotic, but always interesting world of sixth, seventh, and eight graders. For three of those years I served as a facilitator for gifted education in twelve elementary schools, where I worked with fourth, fifth, and sixth graders and dozens of teachers. During the last phase of my career, I traveled to schools throughout western North Carolina and presented workshops based on a program for teaching composition skills that I authored and used in my classroom.
In 1997, after retiring from the classroom, I founded Taking Grades Publishing Company and began a second career writing teaching materials for middle grade language arts teachers. The company has enjoyed steady growth and can now claim customers in all fifty states, several Canadian provinces, and even Taiwan!
Joining the TeachersPayTeachers team in November 2008 was the beginning of my third career in education.
Once a teacher. Always a teacher!

MY TEACHING STYLE

My teaching style would probably be classified as traditional in that I absolutely loved presenting a well-prepared lesson standing on my feet, facing my class, answering every question (twice), and circling often for special effects. Then I enjoyed watching and listening when my students packed up what I had taught and went exploring.
I was progressive in that I kept an open mind for new ideas. I certainly tried and tested many current theories during my career (1965-1995). If there was a better way, I wanted it for my students, and I constantly incorporated new techniques and theories into my teaching. But the basics never really changed for me. Stand up and teach! Watch 'em go!
Humor was always welcomed and encouraged in my classroom. How much better to go home exhausted from laughing than just exhausted!
At the end of the day, if I had allowed my students to teach me at least as much I had taught, then I had been a good teacher.

HONORS/AWARDS/SHINING TEACHER MOMENT

Catawba County Language Arts Teacher of the Year 1994

MY OWN EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Graduated from Fred T. Foard High School in 1962. Attended Lenoir Rhyne University 1962-1965. Graduated on the third Friday in August 1965 and begin teaching the next Monday, two days later.

ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

North Carolina is my home, always has been, always will be. I live in Conover, a small town located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. My home is the same one I bought thirty-five years ago as a starter, but it's OK. I am not finished with it.
My first love is teaching, and I spent thirty happy years in the classroom as a middle school language arts teacher. To this day, I still am amazed that I actually got paid for doing something that I thought of as a natural part of my life. It was never a job.
Ask anyone who knows me. Children and animals have always been my passion.
During my teaching years, I served as secretary and president of the local humane society. There has always been at least one cat on my lap and a few others circling in a holding pattern.
After retiring from teaching, I decided to pursue my long-time dream of writing teaching materials professionally. Along came my company, Taking Grades, the World Wide Web, some extremely sharp learning curves, and my dream grew into a reality.
On the internet I am known as Margaret at Taking Grades, but in the community I am known as the bird lady. There is a good explanation.
The same year I began writing, I also developed an interest in wildlife rehabilitation. Today I am a fully licensed wildlife rehabilitator, specializing in orphaned and injured songbirds. Each season, from April to the end of August, I take in around 150 little ones (robins, blue jays, blue birds, Carolina Wrens, chickadees, cardinals) anything claiming to be a songbird, raise them to adults, and release them back into the wild.
My home office does double duty as a baby bird nursery from spring to late summer.
I am withholding this information from the cats!